The global A2P SMS market, by application, is dominated by the customer relationship management services segment and the segment is expected contribute 33.7 % of the overall market revenue in 20204. The CRM services segment, along with the promotional campaigns and interactive services segments, will each register a steady CAGR of 4.7% over the course of the forecast period.

Application-to-person (A2P) SMS is an innovative technology that has gained much prominence in recent years. Rapid growth in the e-commerce industry, the availability of low-cost smartphones, the growing penetration of the Internet, and the resultant rise in cloud and web-enabled services such as mobile payments and mobile banking have been aiding the adoption of A2P SMSs in a number of sectors and applications. The further proliferation of mobile payments, mobile banking, and mobile health services, among others is also expected to fuel the A2P SMS market during the forecast period.

The global A2P SMS market revenue stood at US$57.27 bn in 2015 and is expected to reach US$83.03 bn by 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 4.2% therein. The volume is expected to reach 2,273.39 bn SMSs by 2024 by, augmenting at a 4.1% CAGR from 2016 to 2024.

Considerable Scope for Growth in Banking and Finance Sector

A2P SMS is in high demand in several end-use industries – retail, BFSI, travel and transport, healthcare and hospitality, and entertainment (gaming) and media. The retail and BFSI industries account for a significant share in the A2P SMS market.

While other industry verticals have been using SMSs for several years now, banking and finance industries have begun adopting the practice of using SMSs for notifications only in recent years. This end-use segment is anticipated to present significant opportunities for growth in the near future.

A continuous increase in population, rapid urbanization, and a surge in consumer disposable income have brought about the commencement of digitization in retail. This is a key factor driving the adoption of A2P SMS in the retail industry.

On the basis of application, the A2P SMS market is categorized into customer relationship management services, pushed content services, promotional campaigns, inquiry-related services, and interactive services,. Customer relationship management (CRM) services and promotional campaigns are two application segments that are expected to evolve as immensely attractive markets by the end of the forecast period.

In 2015, Asia Pacific led the A2P SMS market and accounted for 40.4% of the overall market revenue. This was followed by North America, which held a 27.6% share in the global revenue. Asia Pacific is likely to retain its leading position throughout the forecast period, with a notifiable rise in the global A2P SMS revenue share by 2024. The introduction of innovative messaging platforms equipped with advanced APIs and messaging gateways has rendered A2P messages convenient and easy to use. These gateways and platforms simplify the process of creating applications used for the generation of A2P SMSs. The increased demand for A2P SMS for applications such as push content services, interactive services, promotional campaigns, and customer relationship management services is driving the market in Asia Pacific.

The A2P SMS market in North America is characterized by a range of factors such as the presence of presence of prominent players, the increasing need for A2P messaging platforms, particularly in financial institutions and banks, and the rise in application areas for these platforms. The A2P SMS market in North America is thus slated to witness a rise in the volume of A2P SMSs being sent, registering an estimated CAGR of 3.6% from 2014 to 2024. The U.S. alone is expected to account for approximately 80% of the total A2P SMSs sent in 2024.